Draco blinked at her in stunned silence before reflexively sitting down on the ottoman behind him to process the news. Astoria appeared to be no better, her hand pressed to her lips in surprise as Pansy finished the tale of her partner's creature heritage and what they'd learnt in the process of mating.

"Say something," Pansy whispered, her hand in the thick fur at Byron's collar, for both of their comfort as she hoped not to be judged too harshly now that the Malfoys had the full picture.

"Well...I mean, I know I suggested you should find someone soon but mates? Bonded for life? It's been such a short time, are you sure?" Astoria finally found her voice.

Pansy lifted her chin proudly and looked at her with her piercing gaze. "Beyond doubt. I know it's only been a few months but I'm more sure of this than of anything before. Not only have I found love with Hermione, I have the privilege of being mated to a powerful harpy. We're well matched. I wouldn't accept any less for myself than to be treated the way she treats me every day," she said firmly and without hesitation.

Astoria lifted her hands in a soothing gesture. "I meant no offence, promise. I just wanted to make sure this is what you want. I could see tonight how happy you are together, how you gravitate towards each other. I just had no idea it was this...intense."

Silence fell again in the room and Pansy's gaze shifted to Draco who was watching her silently with his mercury gaze. There was a time when his opinion and his word was worth more than gold to her. They have been friends since early childhood, got through school and through the second Wizarding War with too many mental scars, and while they haven't been as close of late, a part of her would always want his love and support. But she was no longer the young girl looking for approval. This was her life, Hermione was her mate, and she will not be cowed if he reacted badly.

He sighed deeply and rubbed his hands over his face, his lips pursed in deep thought. Astoria reached to squeeze his forearm supportively and he offered her a small smile before turning to Pansy once again. "This changes quite a bit," he finally said.

"Does it?" she asked, wondering whether he would change his mind about investigating this case.

He nodded and stood up again, pacing in front of the fireplace. "Absolutely. This means there's a whole new variable and motive for her abduction. I mean, she's a war heroine and a skilled Potions Mistress, that would be plenty enough of a reason to abduct her. But knowing she's a rare and powerful magical being, that changes the game. There hasn't been a known sighting of a harpy in many years, I don't even remember being taught about them in Hogwarts," he pointed out.

"They've been considered extinct for a long time. We only have the little information about harpies that we do thanks to Neville," she explained.

"Longbottom?" Draco raised a curious brow.

Pansy nodded. "He's our lead herbologist, they've been working on a new experimental batch of crossbreed fruit for our new line targeting scarring damage. And we're getting close. I don't know if this is about our work or her being a harpy, I can't-" her voice cracked for the first time that evening as her head spun with the possibilities of why her partner was taken.

Astoria moved to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently. "We'll figure it out and get her back to you," she said gently, looking at her husband with a determined frown.

Draco nodded. "We will, but we need to narrow this down. If someone took her for this particular reason, there could be other motives - studying her, taking her blood, I mean thinking from a potion perspective, there is much to harvest," he tried to explain, talking more to himself than to the two women. "Okay, who knows about this? Full list."

Pansy took a shuddering breath. "Myself, Neville and his partner Kyra. And now you two. That's all as far as I know. She hadn't exposed herself to anyone else that I can think of," she sighed her lacquered nails tapping on her arm.

The fireplace burst into emerald flames and a surprising figure stepped through into the living room, looking around until her gaze settled on Pansy.

"Constance, what are you doing here?" Pansy stood, concerned for the young woman who had clearly been crying.

"I-I'm so sorry, I had no idea he would do this. I can't believe-" she stammered shakily, tears falling down her cheeks again as she clutched her phone in her hands.

"Who are you?" Draco stepped closer with a frown, not happy about the interruption.

"It's fine, this is Constance, my assistant," Pansy stepped in and helped the distressed brunette sit down on the sofa. "Constance, I need you to calm down. Whatever is wrong, it will have to wait. Hermione-"

"Was abducted, I know," she managed shakily, unlocking the phone in her hands and passing it to her. "And it's all my fault, I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Pansy took the phone from her and read through the screenshots of WhatsApp messages opened before her.

Moriarty 6:34

All finalised?

Me 6:45

Yes. Location secure for storage and passage for shipment secured. All proceeding as discussed.

Moriarty 8:12

Confirmed sighting, go ahead

Me 8:54

Successful retrieval completed and package secured in storage. Awaiting your arrival

Moriarty 9:37

On my way.

She scrolled through the conversation screenshots, starting to get a picture for just how much surveillance was done on them both. Whoever was the owner of the phone from the screenshots has clearly been on their trail for months. And whoever Moriarty was meant to be, they were the puppeteer behind this whole theatre.

She looked up at Constance as she passed the phone over to Draco who started scrolling through the messages back towards the latest exchange as well. "Constance, who did you obtain these from," she asked calmly despite her inner fury.

Constance recognised her tone however and a fresh wave of tears fell down her cheeks. "My boyfriend… Marcus Flint," she whispered.

Pansy inhaled sharply, turning to look at Draco. "Marcus?"

Draco shook his head. "Later," he slipped the phone into his pocket, clearly confiscating it as evidence before he crouched down beside the crying young woman. "How did you start dating?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"We started dating a few months ago, met in a pub," Constance sniffled and gratefully accepted a tissue from Astoria who sat on her other side. "He was really nice, understanding about my busy working schedule. We went on a few dates and then he started staying over at mine sometimes. I didn't notice anything at first, he was always so gallant. But he was often texting, and leaving the room when taking a call," she frowned, gripping the tissue tight in her white-knuckled grip as she retold her story. "And then he start withdrawing from me in the last week, working long hours, very secretive about his whereabouts. He came home briefly tonight to change and grab a kitbag. While he was in the loo, I grabbed his phone to check it. I thought - oh Merlin, I'm so stupid. I thought he was cheating on me or something, so I went through his messages. I thought it strange that he had someone saved under a fictional name, I've always loved Sherlock Holmes…. The messages were so odd, and as I scrolled up I realised they were about you and Madame Granger and that his messages to this person were sent after my calls with you about schedule and traveling," she took in a shuddering breath. "It's all my fault, he was spying on you through me and I had no idea, I'm so sorry," she dissolved into shaky tears again, leaning into Pansy when she pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"You did the smart thing by taking those screenshots as evidence and coming to me. You didn't do anything wrong beyond trusting the wrong person," she offered gently, rubbing her back.

"I tried to find you," Constance pulled away to look at her. "At the ball. But the Aurors were there and when I heard them talking about kidnapping, I tried your flat before coming here, I had to tell you."

Pansy nodded. "Where is Flint now?"

"He left again, about half an hour ago. He said something about a last minute work trip and that he'll be back in a week. The moment he left I went looking for you."

Draco nodded, satisfied with her earnest answer. "Did he ever tell you about his work, or this Moriarty person?"

Constance shook her head. "He just said he works in security. He used to play Quidditch but after an injury, he trained with some sort of special forces and went into private security. I thought he was protecting a politician or something, not doing something illegal."

"Can you remember anything at all? Seeing any logos, company names, anything in passing or in his kit that would give away what we're looking for?"

Constance tried to think but shook her head. "No logos, he never mentioned any company. He sometimes came home with the bottom of his jeans a bit damp but nothing else that I can think of- wait," she paused, looking at the blond. "Fuel, he came back home earlier smelling like fuel...diesel. Not petrol station smell but heavy leaded diesel. Do you know what I mean?"

Pansy looked at Draco. "Manufacturing? Logistics? Could be anything."

"It's still helpful. Anything else you can think of?" he urged.

Constance shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't."

"Very well. You'll need to come with me to do a statement and we'll copy the messages from your phone for evidence. It will give me grounds to investigate with a hit wizard team and to do a deeper background into Flint's situation and finances," Draco explained and helped the young woman to her feet before turning back to Pansy. "I'll work as fast as I can. I'll floo when I have anything," he promised.

She nodded and watched them disappear through the flames before turning back to the handsome dog looking at her mournfully. "I best settle Byron in. And you need to get back to the little ones," she turned to look at Astoria.

"I can stay here, I just need to call the nanny," she offered.

Pansy shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for company, to be honest. We'll make do here. Plus, I have to call Neville and Kyra to let them know what happened and to keep an eye out," she sighed.

Astoria pulled her into a fierce hug and kissed her cheek as she withdrew. "If anyone can find her, it's Draco. Trust him, he'll do his best. I'm just a call away if you need anything," she promised before heading out through the floo herself.

Pansy kicked off her heels and headed towards the bedroom, grateful she kept some of her clothes at Hermione's flat. They haven't even had a chance to move in together properly and now she could only hope they would find her mate in time for her to have her back.

"Come Byron, let's get comfortable. It's going to be a long night," she rubbed his long ears and he accompanied her through the flat, looking as lost as she felt.

When she became aware of her surroundings next, Hermione could see daylight streaming through the cracks in concrete and underneath the metal door keeping her contained in the blasted space. She felt hazy, as if she got hit with a bludger, and remembered the events of last night, her hand instinctively reaching up to rub the spot where a sleeping dart must have hit her. She sat up cautiously, realising she was on a thin mattress with a light blanket instead of the cold hard floor, and both the table and chair have been removed. At least she was no longer restrained, but the magical field pulsed around her oppressively, keeping her very much contained.

Folding her legs beneath her as she straightened up a bit in her seat, she closed her eyes and opened them again once the harpy came forward and her senses sharpened. The sound of the distinct horn of a boat sounded nearby, her head tilting towards it as she scanned her surroundings. A rat in the corner, and a dark smudge on the floor on her other side. She breathed in deeply and beyond the damp concrete smelled the unmistakable chemical tang of fuel. And blood. She scanned the floor nearby before reaching up to her head, feeling the small wound that was already healing, likely caused by her slumping down and hitting her head last night.

She flexed her shoulders and wondered whether it would be worth stretching her wings out and testing the barriers of her magical cage. Her side was still tender from where she landed on it last night, could she take another ricochet from the magical barrier? Deciding to give it a try, she stretched her body gently before getting up carefully, stepping off the mattress only by a foot, hoping to land on it in case she bounced. Her blazer was nowhere to be seen and her white shirt was already ripped at the back where her wings came out last night, she didn't have to bother removing it. She at least took off the black tie at her neck and unbuttoned the top couple of buttons, and rolled up her sleeves to get more comfortable. Just as she was about to let her wings loose, the metal door squealed open and a tall figure stepped through, walking towards her confidently.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Granger," he drawled, coming to stand a few steps away from her.

He was vaguely familiar, with his dark hair and nasty gaze, but she couldn't quite place him until he grinned at her coldly and the crooked teeth gave him away. "Flint," she sneered in response. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from you than being someone's lackey."

"You watch your filthy half-breed mouth," he spat at her feet and tossed her a bottle of water. "I was going to bring you food but you can starve for all I care. As long as you're alive until tomorrow night, you can sit in your fifth and stay on water."

She unscrewed the bottle and took a drink thirstily before capping it again. "How generous of you. It seems your prison guard duties have gone into your head rather quickly," she taunted, hoping to get him talking.

He snarled at her, his male ego prickled. "I'm no prison warden but Head of Security. You will show me respect, mudblood bitch. Now sit down and behave or I'll cut you down."

As he started walking away from her, she seized the water bottle and hurled it at him with all her strength. If she could knock him out and summon his wand with the bit of wandless magic she could do, perhaps she could get out. Her hit was near perfect, to the back of his head, but he merely stumbled, recovering and shaking off the blow as he turned on his heel and drew his wand before she could get her wings out to protect her.

"Crucio!"

It was the last word she heard before liquid fire seized her veins and she crumpled to the floor in absolutely agony. She writhed on the cold stone until he finally let up, her face damp with tears as her body shook from the attack on her nervous system. She heard him sneer at her before the metal doors shut and she closer her eyes tiredly, praying to Hecate that she would make it out of here alive for her mate.

Pansy sat up sharply on the sofa, startling Byron with the sudden movement. She clutched her chest at the sharp pain that coursed through her and in that moment she knew it wasn't her own. "Hermione…" she whispered, pulling her knees up to her chest, fear squeezing her heart. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing, she just couldn't. Her mate was hurting, and she needed to do something. With her intentions set, she stood and headed to change. She knew just where to go.